Grand seiko sbgx069 / sgbx269- wow!

[Tbonewalk]

I just learned about this watch, a 37mm Quartz Grand Seiko. It sure looks pretty awesome! I found mention of "vertical stripes on each of the 11 indices", "as a true testament to Grand Seiko’s pursuit for watchmaking perfection"- from Deplyant, and in the spirit of a true watch nerd, I discovered that my GS SBGX 271 has 'em too lol (at least I think it does)... they're pretty amazing watches...

[Old Expat Beast]

My SBGT235 has them. The 9F quartz are made with the same quality and attentional to detail as all the rest

[Tbonewalk]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

My SBGT235 has them. The 9F quartz are made with the same quality and attentional to detail as all the rest

... just wow, astounding!

[1William]

Cool watch. Great pictures.

[Tbonewalk]

Originally Posted by 1William

Cool watch. Great pictures.

this is the article I somehow or other came upon https://deployant.com/opinion-grand-...ed-collection/

[horse4642]

Oh my Grand Seiko! Beautiful as usual..

[Tbonewalk]

I continue to enjoy my SBGX 271, but haven't made an aggressive move yet on the "269" with gold hands. I have some reservations about it, though am certainly very intrigued with it, and I guess you just cannot get them all lol

[watchmd]

The patterned black face against the gold hands and markers is awesome!!

[Tbonewalk]

Originally Posted by watchmd

The patterned black face against the gold hands and markers is awesome!!

Is it "patterned"? Certainly not in these pictures from Deployant, and they seem perfect... but I have seen some pictures where the watch does appear to have a pattern on the dial...

[aggrotiminghabits]

The finish on GS, regardless of movement, is ridiculous for the price point. Even better is how cheap GS quartzes can be found used...

[Txkill]

The black dial gold indices is seriously a beautiful watch...

[Tbonewalk]

Originally Posted by aggrotiminghabits

The finish on GS, regardless of movement, is ridiculous for the price point. Even better is how cheap GS quartzes can be found used...

Indeed! I have been bit by the GS stuff lately, I don't think they take a back seat to anybody. The Quartz watches are so appealing in so many ways, price being one of them...

[Tbonewalk]

Originally Posted by Txkill

The black dial gold indices is seriously a beautiful watch...

it is, and it is driving me crazy, that feeling that you "must have" something...

[Flybak]

Very good looking watch OP! I think more people are beginning to recognize that Grand Seiko's finishing on watches is well-above any other in their price range and more often even many watches from brands at much higher prices.

[Tbonewalk]

Originally Posted by Flybak

Very good looking watch OP! I think more people are beginning to recognize that Grand Seiko's finishing on watches is well-above any other in their price range and more often even many watches from brands at much higher prices.

I agree and am all in on GS. A watch like this or the Snowflake are up there with any, so unique, cool, and quality... and value!

[Legacy]

Hi everyone! I just joined Rolex Forums and am still reading the incredible amount of information here. It is great when people take the time to share their experiences for the benefit of others. Found this thread and as an owner of the SBGX269, thought I would give back a little information and share some opinions.

This is a JDM watch and I bought it from SeiyaJapan in October of 2018. The gold on black is what drew me to this watch; it is incredibly easy to read and looks more elegant than silver on black in my opinion. I wear the watch 5 days/week and love it! The accuracy of 10 seconds per year is conservative. Mine has been running within 1 second over 3 months. Having a watch this accurate is a blessing and a curse. It is frustrating to disturb the time for daylight savings adjustments (wish we would get rid of DST) or if I pull out the stem too far when advancing the date on short months. We should all have such problems!
The watch is titanium so it is very light weight and extremely comfortable to wear. The bracelet is adjustable by removing links and half-links, but that is all. I wish Grand Seiko would put micro-adjustments on the clasp. Luckily, removing one full link resulted in a perfect fit for me. I have a 7.25 inch wrist and only removed one link, so people with larger wrists may need to find extra links somewhere. I like the slightly darker color of the titanium; it is less flashy than polished stainless steel. Most people will not notice the color difference unless you put titanium and stainless side by side. I have found that the titanium used by Grand Seiko has about the same scratch resistance as stainless steel. Yes, I have a few hairline scratches already.

Some people have commented on the dial texture. It is VERY subtle. Under typical fluorescent office lighting, you cannot see the texture pattern at all. Under single point lights like jewelry stores like to use, the pattern really pops out. It is a very cool effect! You can see the pattern in direct sunlight but not in the shade. Here are a few wrist shots. Sorry, not the best photography.
Shade.JPG

sun.JPG

Being a quartz watch means that the second hand moves once per second. However, there is something different with the 9F second hand from typical quartz watches. I could not put my finger on it for the longest time. Of course the second hand lands exactly on the index markers as it should, but that is not it. While a typical quartz second hand jumps, the Grand Seiko seems to glide to the next marker. There are 2 small details at work here. Grand Seiko uses a hairspring on the second hand to prevent overshoot and backlash so the second hand moves confidently yet smoothly from mark to mark. The second hand also moves in 2 steps instead of 1. This is not visible unless you use a slo-mo camera. These details combined to provide a mesmerizing movement of the second hand that you really have to see in person. It is very subtle, but you know there is something special going on.

Overall, I like the 37mm size, the look and the performance of this watch. I cannot imagine parting with it any time soon. I would be glad to answer any questions or provide additional comments. Thanks for reading!

[Tbonewalk]

Originally Posted by Legacy

Hi everyone! I just joined Rolex Forums and am still reading the incredible amount of information here. It is great when people take the time to share their experiences for the benefit of others. Found this thread and as an owner of the SBGX269, thought I would give back a little information and share some opinions.

This is a JDM watch and I bought it from SeiyaJapan in October of 2018. The gold on black is what drew me to this watch; it is incredibly easy to read and looks more elegant than silver on black in my opinion. I wear the watch 5 days/week and love it! The accuracy of 10 seconds per year is conservative. Mine has been running within 1 second over 3 months. Having a watch this accurate is a blessing and a curse. It is frustrating to disturb the time for daylight savings adjustments (wish we would get rid of DST) or if I pull out the stem too far when advancing the date on short months. We should all have such problems!
The watch is titanium so it is very light weight and extremely comfortable to wear. The bracelet is adjustable by removing links and half-links, but that is all. I wish Grand Seiko would put micro-adjustments on the clasp. Luckily, removing one full link resulted in a perfect fit for me. I have a 7.25 inch wrist and only removed one link, so people with larger wrists may need to find extra links somewhere. I like the slightly darker color of the titanium; it is less flashy than polished stainless steel. Most people will not notice the color difference unless you put titanium and stainless side by side. I have found that the titanium used by Grand Seiko has about the same scratch resistance as stainless steel. Yes, I have a few hairline scratches already.

Some people have commented on the dial texture. It is VERY subtle. Under typical fluorescent office lighting, you cannot see the texture pattern at all. Under single point lights like jewelry stores like to use, the pattern really pops out. It is a very cool effect! You can see the pattern in direct sunlight but not in the shade. Here are a few wrist shots. Sorry, not the best photography.
Attachment 1044721

Attachment 1044722

Being a quartz watch means that the second hand moves once per second. However, there is something different with the 9F second hand from typical quartz watches. I could not put my finger on it for the longest time. Of course the second hand lands exactly on the index markers as it should, but that is not it. While a typical quartz second hand jumps, the Grand Seiko seems to glide to the next marker. There are 2 small details at work here. Grand Seiko uses a hairspring on the second hand to prevent overshoot and backlash so the second hand moves confidently yet smoothly from mark to mark. The second hand also moves in 2 steps instead of 1. This is not visible unless you use a slo-mo camera. These details combined to provide a mesmerizing movement of the second hand that you really have to see in person. It is very subtle, but you know there is something special going on.

Overall, I like the 37mm size, the look and the performance of this watch. I cannot imagine parting with it any time soon. I would be glad to answer any questions or provide additional comments. Thanks for reading!

thanks for your impressions. I just got the 069 today. Looking forward to getting it going. I have a large wrist, the band is just a bit too small. I have another GS that is 19mm, I think the links will fit, though not titanium. But one on the back should not be noticeable, hope it fits, and leather is an option, though the titanium is of course special. You are right about the subtlety of the texture, it is at times not even visible. At first I didn't even notice it and was disappointed but with better life it became visible. The subtleness is really pretty cool, otherwise it could be too much. It is a heckuva watch, really is...

[HogwldFLTR]

I just picked up a SBGX059 with the 9F62 movement. I'm impressed with the accuracy (10 secs/year, 50 year service and nicely decorated craftsmanship.

[collarcity]

My SBGX061 has the same index striping. I think this is a trait of the SBGX line, the 37mm variants at least.

[Rickjason]

Every watch is stunning. I have the Snowflake and I stare at it a lot.

[cup8]

Now that is a beautiful watch. I totally love the watch

[KBM]

GS never ceases to amaze.